Jerry Maguire star Jonathan Lipnicki literally bled for a role in James Caan's 2012 movie For The Love Of Money after movie bosses decided he needed to be buff and hairless for a topless scene. The former child star worked out for four months and had his chest waxed for the role only to discover it had been cut at the last minute when he arrived on set.
He explains, "I dieted really hard... and they told me there was a shirtless scene and I showed up and there wasn't a shirtless scene.
"They even paid for me to have my chest waxed... It was terrible; I actually bled."

Former child star Jonathan Lipnicki almost missed out on his big break in Jerry Maguire - he was only cast as Tom Cruise's stepson when another young actor dropped out of the project. Lipnicki went on to land the lead in the Stuart Little franchise and he's now planning a major return to acting after reconnecting with his mentor Cruise - and he owes his success to the fact another child star didn't work out as Ray Boyd.
He explains, "They cast another kid and actually shot two weeks with a different kid and it just wasn't working out; the chemistry wasn't there, the kid wasn't happy.
"They went back to recast it but they wouldn't even see me because I was on a list of people who'd already auditioned, but I auditioned for an associate and not the actual casting director... and then she said, 'How would you like to fly today to Arizona to read with Tom Cruise and (director) Cameron Crowe?'"
And that simple decision led to a big break and the chance to always have Cruise as a mentor.
The 22 year old admits he has recently reconnected with Cruise as he plots a return to the movies as a grown-up.
He explains, "He's amazing... I cold called his office... and I got a response pretty quickly... and within a few months we found a date, I met up with him and I realised it was the perfect time... I needed some guidance... and there's so much I took from that conversation."

Lipnicki, who appeared alongside Cruise in the 1996 movie as a child actor, kept in touch with his older mentor after the shoot wrapped.
He often turns to the Top Gun star for tips, telling Vulture.com, "He puts a lot of emphasis on being polite, and manners, and being on time. He said to always keep yourself busy, because then you'll always be motivated to be creative. The more you produce, the more you create, the happier you're going to be anyway...
"I have a poster of Mission: Impossible that he signed, 'You can be my wingman anytime.' And it's one of those things that, whenever I feel down, it makes me believe in myself."

The 20 year old, who became famous for his role in Tom Cruise's 1996 movie Jerry Maguire, filed papers at Los Angeles County Superior Court earlier this month (May11) alleging aspiring actress Amber Watson threatened him at his apartment.
He claims Watson, who he briefly dated after meeting at an acting class in L.A., entered his bedroom and "pulled my blankets off" while he was sleeping, after his room mates allowed her access to the building.
In the legal documents, he adds, "When I tried to get up, she tried to pin me to my bed. I had to move her off me physically... she threatened to annihilate me."
The judge granted Lipnicki's restraining order, which requires Watson to stay at least 100 yards (91 metres) away from him at all times, according to TMZ.com.

She’s done it! Well, almost. Dakota Fanning has managed to embark on the Natalie Portman or Reese Witherspoon route instead of the Linday Lohan downward spiral. She’s all grown up and unlike some other famously adorable kid stars (see: Lohan, Jonathan Lipnicki and Haley Joel Osment), she’s managed to turn her child star career into a teen queen career and now she’s got her sights set on yet another Summit Entertainment film geared toward the young adult set.
You may remember that Fanning took on a vampiress role in the latest installment of the Twilight series (where she out-acted everyone and yes, I’m embarrassed to admit I actually saw the movie, but there you have it). Now she’s in talks to keep the supernatural mojo going with another picture for Summit called If I Stay.
The film is based of a teen novel of the same name and is about a young musician and her boyfriend – an indie musician with a promising career ahead of him. Fanning’s possible lead is a 17 year-old who struggles with her differences with her parents and the opposition of her art and her romantic relationship – basically a sampling of all of the things most teens have to deal with. The supernatural element comes in when the protagonist is involved in a car accident that kills her parents and sends her into a bout of reflection. The film would have united Fanning with Twilight's director, Catherine Hardwicke, but she’s since been replaced by Brazilian director Heitor Dhalia.
Summit is quickly becoming the go-to serious teen movie studio with recent films like Letters to Juliet, Remember Me, and the Twilight Saga movies and they’ve had their eyes on this project since before the book ever even hit the bookstore shelves. As they continue to produce heavier teen films, I think Fanning is a natural choice. It’s about time teen-fare took on a poised, well-spoken young woman who can actually act in a leading role. No offense, Kristen Stewart, but scowling and running your fingers through your hair every five seconds doesn’t make you a good role model.
Source: Variety

Former child star Jonathan Lipnicki is making his movie comeback in the upcoming The Jestons film.
The Jerry Maguire star, 15, has signed on to play Elroy in the live-action version of the space age cartoon series, according to Web site Movietome.com.
The film will also star Steve Martin, Diane Lane and Lindsay Lohan.
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As the weekend's opening releases dominated the box office charts, it was obvious moviegoers were only looking for one thing--the right Signs.
Buena Vista's Signs, about crop circles and creepy green men from outer space, landed the number one spot with a whopping $60.3 million, giving the film the second best August opening of all time. It follows last summer's smash hit Rush Hour 2, which made $67.4 million when it was released Aug. 3, 2001.
Signs is also the fourth best weekend release of 2002, following Spider-Man, Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones and Austin Powers in Goldmember, respectively.
The PG-13-rated thriller made it to 3,264 theaters nationwide, averaging an estimated $18,474 per theater, and proved audiences were more than willing to see a film pairing wunderkind writer/director M. Night Shyamalan with star Mel Gibson. Signs marks the best opening ever for both talents.
Signs also stars Joaquin Phoenix, Cherry Jones, Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin.
Of last weekend's new releases, only one remained in the top five--New Line's Austin Powers in Goldmember, which dropped from its top spot to No. 2 this weekend. The raucous PG-13-rated comedy took in an estimated $32.4 million, falling a rather significant 56 percent from its huge opening, but still managing to average an estimated $8,968 per screen in 3,613 theaters. Goldmember's cume so far is $142.9 million, making it the 11th film this year to pass the $100 million mark. Not too shabby.
Directed by Jay Roach, Austin Powers in Goldmember stars Mike Myers, Beyoncé Knowles and Michael Caine.
Opening in the third spot was Sony's Master of Disguise. The PG-rated comedy from funny man Dana Carvey was a family film alternative that brought in a respectable $13 million ($5,068 average per screen) and joins Sony's other top 10 summer winners, including Stuart Little 2 and Men In Black II.
Directed by Perry Andelin Blake, the film also stars James Brolin, Harold Gould, Brent Spiner and Jennifer Esposito.
The No. 4 slot went to another funny guy, although in a much different film. Opening with $7.5 million, Paramount's Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat proved its worth, taking in an estimated $9,973 on only 752 screens.
In this R-rated stand-up concert film, comedian Martin Lawrence discusses the many things on his mind, including his past troubles with drugs, his run-ins with the law and his near-death experience. It is directed by David Raynr.
At No. 5, some familiar faces return. DreamWorks' Road to Perdition, now in its fourth week, dropped from No. 2 to take the No. 5 position with a steady $6.6 million. Even though the R-rated film took a 41 percent cut from last weekend, the Tom Hanks/Paul Newman gangster drama, which is already being considered Oscar bait, managed an estimated $2,830 in approximately 2,332 theaters. Perdition's cume to date is a solid $77.2 million.
Directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes, the film stars Hanks, Newman, Jude Law, Stanley Tucci, Tyler Hoechlin and Daniel Craig.
The No. 6 slot belongs to Sony's Stuart Little 2. In its third week, the little-mouse-that-could sequel brought in $6 million, slipping from last week's third place slot and falling 43 percent (averaging $1,939 per screen in 3,095 theaters). The PG-rated family comedy's total to date is $46.8 million.
Stuart Little 2 is directed by Rob Minkoff and stars Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and Jonathan Lipnicki with the vocal talents of Michael J. Fox, Melanie Griffith, Nathan Lane, Steve Zahn and James Woods.
Sony's Men In Black II slid from No. 4 to No. 7 this weekend, taking in $4.7 million. Averaging only an estimated $1,620 per screen, the PG-13-rated comedy about policing those darned aliens on Earth, now in its fifth week, dropped 45 percent. But have no fear, fans, the film's total cume is still a respectable $182 million.
Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, Men In Black II stars Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Lara Flynn Boyle, Rosario Dawson and Rip Torn.
Talk about a little film that could. IFC Films' My Big Fat Greek Wedding is proving to be amazingly resilient. Now in week 16 and still only showing on 655 theaters, the PG-rated independent comedy about one woman's Greek family and the sweet man she brings into it moved up from the No. 10 slot to No. 8 this week. Taking in a healthy $3.013 million this weekend, Wedding averaged $4,601 per screen. Its total to date is a healthy $40.1 million.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is directed by Joel Zwick and stars Nia Vardalos (also writer), John Corbett, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan and Andrea Martin.
Two films that couldn't more different tied for the ninth and tenth spots--Paramount's K-19: The Widowmaker and Buena Vista's The Country Bears, both of which took in $3 million this weekend. Guess it was a toss-up whether to see a movie about a deadly nuclear submarine accident or one featuring giant bears singing and dancing. Hmmm.
K-19 dropped 59 percent from fifth place last weekend (averaging $1,139 per screen), with its cume to date being $30.8 million. The Country Bears fell from sixth with a 43 percent cut (averaging $1,175 per screen), with a cume of $11.7 million to date.
K-19: The Widowmaker is directed by Kathryn Bigelow and stars Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson and Peter Sarsgaard.
The Country Bears, based on the popular Disney theme park attraction, stars Christopher Walken, Stephen Tobolowsky, Eli Marienthal and the vocal talents of Haley Joel Osment. It is directed by Peter Hastings.
One other prominent film opened this weekend--Miramax's Full Frontal, directed by Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh and starring Julia Roberts. Labeled a sequel of sorts to Soderbergh's indie hit sex, lies and videotape, Miramax only released Full Frontal in 208 theaters. The film still managed to make the top 20, bringing in $725,000 and averaging $3,486 per screen.
Directed by Soderbergh, Full Frontal stars Roberts, Catherine Keener, Blair Underwood and David Hyde Pierce.

Saving a crew of Russian submariners from a watery grave should prove an easier task for Harrison Ford than winning this weekend's box office derby against a spunky mouse with human-like qualities.
K-19: The Widowmaker represents Ford's first action thriller since 1997's Air Force One, but that by no means guarantees a bigger opening than Stuart Little 2. The sequel to 1999's surprise smash hit scurried into 3,255 theaters, runs a mere 77 minutes and enjoys huge awareness among young audiences who have already turned Scooby-Doo and Lilo &amp; Stitch into summer blockbusters. Based on a true Cold War-era incident, K-19 will crash-dive into 2,824 theaters, but runs 138 minutes and faces stiff competition from Tom Hanks' Road to Perdition for adults looking for an intelligent summer offering.
Essentially a Cold War remake of Run Silent, Run Deep, K-19 recounts how Russian bureaucracy and inefficiency led to the 1961 disabling of a Soviet submarine and a possible nuclear meltdown. Ford, serving as the submarine's captain, spends as much of his time trying to save his men as he does clashing with second-in-command Liam Neeson. Director Kathryn Bigelow tells K-19 solely from a Russian perspective, which could provoke apathy from some teens uninterested in Cold War politics.
Oddly, Ford serves as both K-19's primary asset and liability. Ford's decision to adopt a Russian accent as the commander of a disabled Soviet nuclear submarine might distract audiences from the task at hand. It does seem unnecessary for Ford to try his hand at such an accent considering the Russians have no verbal interactions with their U.S. counterparts.
Yet audiences always turn out en masse to see Ford save the day. The 1990s saw Ford score with The Fugitive ($183.8 million), Air Force One ($172.6 million) and Clear and Present Danger ($122 million). Plus, this is an opportunity to see Han Solo butt heads with Qui-Gon Jinn.
Also, audiences seem to enjoy spending time trapped within the confines of a jeopardized submarine. The Hunt for Red October ($17.1 million opening; $120.7 million total), Crimson Tide ($18.6 million opening; $91.3 million total) and U-571 ($19.5 million opening; $77 million total) all weathered rough seas to become successful by varying degrees.
Given Ford's stature, K-19 should open around The Fugitive's $23.7 million. (In a twist of irony, K-19 won't muster enough energy to exceed The Sum of All Fears's $31.1 opening and $115 million total through Sunday. Ford declined to star in the fourth Jack Ryan yarn, allowing Ben Affleck to revitalize the franchise.)
K-19's future then depends upon whether it can withstand strong competition from Road to Perdition. If so, K-19 could dock somewhere between the totals of Crimson Tide and U-571.
Road to Perdition widens by several hundred theaters this weekend after a superb $22.1 million at a modest 1,797 theaters. That could put some older adults in a bind as they found themselves choosing between Road to Perdition and K-19.
DreamWorks deliberately kept the theater count low in order to prevent the 1930s-era gangster saga from rapidly burning out, a strategy that's worked thus far. Road to Perdition opened better than Hanks' The Green Mile ($18 million) and close to Apollo 13 ($25.3 million) and Forrest Gump ($24.4 million).
With $31.8 million through Thursday, Road to Perdition could hit $50 million by this weekend. The presumed Oscar contender is on track to break $100 million long before Labor Day. This would give Sam Mendes his second consecutive $100 million smash, following his Oscar-winning American Beauty ($130 million).
Keep an eye on your cheese, Mickey Mouse, 'cause Stuart Little's back!
Families embraced the smartly dressed rodent during the winter of 1999, when Stuart Little debuted with $15 million
en route to a $140 million total. The first film introduced the CGI-animated Stuart Little, voiced by Michael J. Fox, as the adopted child of Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie. The sequel, also directed by Rob Minkoff, now requires the brave mouse to traverse New York City in order rescue a bird voiced by Melanie Griffith.
Interest is waning in Lilo &amp; Stitch and Scooby-Doo, so Stuart Little 2 should appease children and parents alike family market until the Aug. 7 arrival of Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams. The talking mouse should fend off an attack next weekend by those singing grizzlies, The Country Bears.
Stuart should squeak with joy this weekend. Stuart Little 2's built-in audience should allow it to double its predecessor's debut. Aiding Stuart's cause: families have thoroughly rejected Hey Arnold! The Movie ($12.6 million through Sunday) and The Powerpuff Girls Movie ($9.6 million). Still, Stuart's second escapade might not be as popular as his first, which showed strong endurance after a good debut. Stuart Little 2 should settle for about $110 million after a dynamic opening.
Stuart Little 2 will stop kids from making their second or third trips to Lilo &amp; Stitch and Scooby-Doo. The Disney-animated yarn, which has $123.4 million through Thursday, should slightly exceed Dinosaur's $137.7 million total. With $144.9 million through Sunday, Scooby-Doo will dig up a $155 million total, certainly enough to justify its projected 2004 sequel.
Reptiles don't seem to bother Steve Irwin, but a rodent such as Stuart Little might scare away his audience.
The family-friendly The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course last weekend took in a less-than-snappy $9.5 million, and has just $14 million through Thursday. No doubt Irwin's diehard fans caught him in theaters last weekend, and Stuart Little 2 will likely take a big bite out of The Crocodile Hunter's pre-teen audience this weekend.
By tumbling by at least 50 percent in its second weekend, The Crocodile Hunter will barely make it past $25 million. That might make MGM executives think twice about exploiting the popularity of a cable-TV star without providing audiences with a viewing different experience from what they already receive on the small screen.
The summer could belong to Jonathan Lipnicki. When not playing with adopted brother Stuart Little, Lipnicki's hanging out on the basketball court with Lil' Bow Wow.
Stuart Little 2 should not cause too much harm to the NBA fairy tale that is Like Mike, which draws slightly older boys. Besides, Stuart Little 2 doesn't feature Lil' Bow Wow going one-on-one with the troubled Allen Iverson.
Like Mike dropped a respectable 37 percent in its second weekend, from $12.1 million to $7.8 million, and has $36.9 million through Thursday. Like Mike should easily exceed the $53.1 million total generated by the kiddie baseball fantasy tale Rookie of the Year.
Scared of spiders?
Then avoid Eight Legged Freaks, a campy throwback to the old monster B-movies of the 1950s. Spilled toxic waste turns ordinary spiders into gigantic killing machines. Only David Arquette
and direct-to-video vixen Kari Wuhrer can stop the destruction of their small Arizona town. Perhaps it doesn't bode well for Nevada's Yucca Mountain, employed as the nation's nuclear waste repository.
More Tremors than Arachnophobia, Eight Legged Freaks offers an easygoing but unimaginative combination of laughs and chills. Arquette doesn't make a particularly charismatic hero, but with Eight Legged Freaks, all that matters is how the spiders end up splattered. The special effects certainly don't rival those of Men in Black II, but the same folks who giggle at the antics of Agents Jay and Kay will lap up Eight Legged Freaks wholeheartedly.
Eight Legged Freaks got a jump on the competition by opening Wednesday. Its two-day total of $2.5 million might justify Warner Bros.' decision to delay the formerly titled Arac Attack from the spring to summer. Eight Legged Freaks could emerge as a summer sleeper if it can double Arachnophobia's $8 million opening and exceed its disappointing $53.2 million total.
The serious-minded Reign of Fire took a slight hit following Wednesday's spider invasion. The post-apocalyptic showdown between man and dragon dropped $1.6 million on Tuesday, to $1.4 million on Wednesday, and to $1.3 million on Thursday. Audiences, though, might prefer to see the lighthearted Eight Legged Freaks this weekend than the dark and brooding Reign of Fire, which has $21.9 million through Thursday.
Reign of Fire's less-than-sizzling $15.6 million opening slightly beat the $15 million debut by 1996's Dragonheart. Losing too much heat this weekend could result in Reign of Fire barely matching Dragonheart's $51.3 million total. That task is made all the more difficult by the presence of those Eight Legged Freaks.
MIBII's illegal extraterrestrial aliens also could fall victims to those mutated spiders. The sequel to the 1997 smash sci-fi spoof dropped a 53 percent in its second weekend, from $52.1 million to $24.4 million. That tumble was expected following tepid reviews. In comparison, Men in Black eroded by 41.1 percent in its second weekend, from $51 million to $30 million, for a total of $139.5 million.
With $143.5 million through Thursday, MIBII certainly won't top its predecessor's $250.1 million total. Instead, Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and director Barry Sonnenfeld should brace themselves for a third weekend of about $13 million and a total barely breaking $200 million. Still, MIBII already ranks as the biggest hit for the three since Men in Black.
Halloween came early this year, and that benefitted one of the horror genre's most notorious serial killers. Halloween: Resurrection sliced up $12.2 million during its opening weekend. Michael Myers' bloody rampage claimed an unexpected victim, which no doubt attracted many during its debut but could ultimately prove the franchise's undoing.
Resurrection failed to top the $16.1 million debut of its predecessor, Halloween: H20, which profited solely from the return of Jamie Lee Curtis. Resurrection, which has $16.4 million through Thursday, certainly won't top H20's $55 million. And, given that Myers' biggest fans have already cheered on him during his latest killing spree, Resurrection will likely take a 50 percent tumble in its second weekend. The body count will come to an end at around $30 million. Still, don't expect this to be the last we see of Myers.
Also, can we soon expect to see CIA assassin Jason Bourne on the run again? Matt Damon's The Bourne Identity earned a total $100.4 million on Tuesday, making it the ninth 2002 release to attain blockbuster status. Next up would be The Bourne Supremacy, based on the second in the trilogy of novels by Robert Ludlum.
Damon also was to star in Minority Report, but dropped out to complete Ocean's Eleven. Minority Report has done OK with Colin Farrell in the role of on-the-run cop Tom Cruise's pursuer, having earned $113.6 million through Thursday.
Mr. Deeds on Thursday became the 10th 2002 release to cross $100 million. Adam Sandler's unnecessary remake of director Frank Capra's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town has $100.3 million through Thursday, with a total $120 million to $130 million likely. Fans clearly prefer Sandler when his archetypal buffoon with a heart of gold doesn't come with horns and a pitchfork.

As Stuart--the adorable white mouse adopted by the very accepting Little clan in the first film--contends with the overprotective eye of his human mom Eleanor (Geena Davis) as he tries out for the soccer team he also has to contend with the fact that big brother George (Jonathan Lipnicki) is making his own friends outside the Little household. Feeling lonely and misadjusted Stuart takes the advice of his father Frederick (Hugh Laurie) and searches for a new friend of his own. His wishes are granted when the fluttery canary Margalo (voiced by Melanie Griffith) literally drops into his life--and his toy sports car. Stuart helps save her from her evil pursuer the sharp-taloned Falcon (voiced by James Woods). The Littles invite Margalo into their home to recuperate and she and Stuart develop a tight bond--a bond that's tested during an expected turn of events that sends Stuart and his unlikely ally Snowbelle the cat (voiced by Nathan Lane) into New York City on a mission to find the missing Margalo.
Like the first film Stuart Little 2 again proves that clever character design combined with exquisite--but not showy--CGI animation can make a computer-generated character appear as real on screen as any flesh-and-blood actor. And the Main Mouse also has the advantage of being voiced by the wily Fox who invests Stuart with incredibly convincing charm pluck and emotion. His vocal performance is easily the heart and soul of the film matched only by the sardonic delivery of Lane who as Snowbelle gamely turns even the most obvious kitty cliché into a tart comic gem. All of the other CGI characters demonstrate a similar lifelike quality and Griffith's little-girl voice is used to its best advantage for perhaps the first time in her career (although she still always sounds a bit dazed). Woods is as sharp and slick as you'd expect yet his performance is several levels below his brilliant turn as Hades in Disney's Hercules. Meanwhile real-life actors Davis and Laurie continue to have fun with the Littles as a sort of post-modern Ward and June Cleaver adding a playful semi-erotic subtext this time around (it'll fly over the heads of the tykes in the audience) and Lipnicki turns in what might be his last "cute kid" role before hitting puberty.
Because director Rob Minkoff so clearly believes in the possibility of making Stuart come completely alive for an audience of both tots and their parents this movie is full of the confident visual snap of the first film be it in the cozy scenes in the Littles' home or in the midst of the ambitious and inventive action sequences (this time around Stuart's got his own airplane for some harrowing flying scenes). It's easy to get involved in all of the movie's key sequences and root for your favorites--even snotty Snowbelle has some unpredictably heroic moments. There are just a couple things lacking in comparison to the original: first the wonderful sense of discovery when we first entered Stuart's world and saw E.B. White's delightful enduring tale come to life on the screen--a factor that's hard to avoid in a sequel. Also the emotional weight of the first flick's story isn't quite matched by Stuart's quest for friendship in this second outing; the dilemma seems a bit forced and not as organic as the mouse's first "fitting in" fears. There are also a few extra-gooey exchanges between Stuart and Margalo that even kids might find a shade too sugary to swallow--and will send adults scurrying to the popcorn concession.

Title

TV series debut as regular, played youngest son in the NBC sitcom "The Jeff Foxworthy Show"

Starred in "Stuart Little"

Starred in the drama "When Zachary Beaver Came to Town"

Feature film debut playing Renee Zellweger's son in "Jerry Maguire"

Had title role in "The Little Vampire"

Summary

This tow-headed, bespectacled child actor came to prominence as Jeff Foxworthy's youngest child on the sitcom "The Jeff Foxworthy Show" (NBC, 1996-97) and as Ray Boyd, Renee Zellweger's son, in Cameron Crowe's "Jerry Maguire" (1996). Lipnicki particularly shone in the latter with some critics saying he was the best thing in the film. His chemistry not only with the camera, but also with Tom Cruise in the title role was magical in the real cinematic use of the word. It was no wonder that he won Cruise's heart before Zellweger's character did.

Name

Role

Comments

Alexis Lipnicki

Sister

older; born 1988

Education

Name

Notes

In addition to his TV and film work, Lipnicki has performed in TV commercials for Sav-On, Shell Oil and Hormel, among others.

By age six, Lipnicki had already earned his white belt in Ninjutsu, a form of karate. His parents claimed that the discipline of learning the martial arts gave their son the self-esteem and confidence to act.